Apple just showed Samsung what foldable buyers care about

Apple entered the foldable phone market several years after Samsung. It had plenty of time to study the category and understand what existing users liked and disliked.

With the iPhone Duo, Apple appears to have focused on answering some of the biggest complaints from Galaxy Z Fold users. It did not necessarily find perfect solutions, but it made choices that improve how the device looks and feels during everyday use.

The iPhone Duo still has a crease, but Apple has added a nano-texture finish that makes it less noticeable by reducing reflections.

That finish comes with drawbacks. It slightly reduces contrast and can produce a hazy effect when the display is viewed from an angle. Samsung’s glossy foldable displays may still be better for watching videos and viewing photos.

However, Apple’s display arguably looks cleaner overall because reflections do not highlight the crease as much. Apple has not eliminated the problem, but it has found a clever way to make it less obvious.

Apple made a similar compromise with the under-display camera. Its image quality is average, but hiding it beneath the display provides an uninterrupted viewing area.

Samsung previously used an under-display camera on its foldables before removing it in favor of better image quality. That decision makes sense on paper, but it also means the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a visible camera cutout on its main display.

Then there is durability. The iPhone Duo has an IP68 rating, while Samsung’s latest foldables remain at IP48. We do not know whether Samsung’s obsession with making its foldables thinner is preventing it from offering complete dust resistance. Whatever the reason, Apple has delivered something Galaxy Z Fold users have been requesting for years.

These decisions make me wonder whether Samsung sometimes focuses too heavily on perfecting individual components instead of the overall experience.

Samsung chose better camera quality over an uninterrupted display. It chose a glossy display with stronger contrast over a matte finish that better conceals the crease. It also created a remarkably thin and lightweight foldable, but one that still lacks an IP68 rating.

Apple approached those decisions differently. It appears to have focused on the things buyers immediately see or worry about, even when addressing them required compromises elsewhere.

That does not mean Apple made the right choice in every case. Some users will prefer Samsung’s sharper display, better inner camera quality, thinner design, and lower weight. But Apple seems to understand that specifications are only one part of what makes an expensive device feel polished.

Samsung’s cautious color choices offer another example. Its pastel finishes are pleasant and approachable, but they rarely give Galaxy devices the stronger visual identity that some competing phones have. Samsung may need to reconsider which feedback it prioritizes when making these decisions.

Samsung already appears to understand this lesson on the software side. One UI has continued to evolve into a more cohesive and visually polished experience.

However, Samsung probably did not expect Apple to teach it the same lesson through hardware, particularly in a category Samsung pioneered.

The iPhone Duo is not better than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in every way. But Apple has shown that making a foldable look and feel complete can matter more than winning every individual specification. That is something Samsung should remember when developing its next generation of foldable phones.